Douai Renault Factory
Encyclopedia
The Douai Renault factory is a car plant belonging to the Renault Group
, opened in 1970 at Douai
in the industrial basin of the Pas-de-Calais department, not far from Lille (Rijsel)
.
Construction of the plant received a go-ahead in 1968, with a formal announcement of the project coming a year later. Douai was chosen because it was well located at the heart of the industrial centre of gravity of the EEC
with excellent road links to major industry and population centres. It was also in an area with a large pool of available workers, due to the running down of coal mining
in the area.
The first car put into serial production at the plant was the Renault 5
, initially in small batches, starting early in 1975. The principal production location for the little car was, and remained, at Flins
, however. Towards the end of 1975 production started at Douai, in much larger batches, of the Renault 14
, building up stock ahead of the launch of Renault's first head-on Golf
competitor in 1976. The plant has continued to specialise in the manufacture of cars in the small family car segment.
By 1977 the plant was employing 7,000 people. This was a period of rapid automation in car production, and as a new plant Douai was more highly automated than most. It was perhaps a reflection of the fact that all the jobs at the plant were then new jobs, that the robots were viewed with some affection by some members of the workforce. At the end of the body assembly shop much of the main welding together of the pressed panels was undertaken by a team of four "Unimate" robots christened, by their human colleagues, Theophile, Arsine, Marcel and Modeste. Visitors at this time were also impressed by the ample space in the plant available for further expansion.
However, in 2008 Douai suffered a blow when production of mainstream Renault Mégane
model was concentrated on the Palencia
plant: hitherto the two plants had assembled the model in parallel, but sales volumes no longer justified that arrangement. Douai retained the sporty low volume Megane CC Coupé and Cabriolet.
The following Renault models have been manufactured at Douai:
Of these, the following were still manufactured there in 2009
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
, opened in 1970 at Douai
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
in the industrial basin of the Pas-de-Calais department, not far from Lille (Rijsel)
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
.
Construction of the plant received a go-ahead in 1968, with a formal announcement of the project coming a year later. Douai was chosen because it was well located at the heart of the industrial centre of gravity of the EEC
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
with excellent road links to major industry and population centres. It was also in an area with a large pool of available workers, due to the running down of coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
in the area.
The first car put into serial production at the plant was the Renault 5
Renault 5
The Renault 5 was first unveiled on 10 December 1971, being launched at the beginning of 1972.The Renault 5 was styled by Michel Boué, who died before the car's release, the R5 featured a steeply sloping rear hatchback and front dashboard...
, initially in small batches, starting early in 1975. The principal production location for the little car was, and remained, at Flins
Flins Renault Factory
Flins Renault Factory is a car factory in France, straddling the towns of Flins and Aubergenville in Yvelines, around 40 km downstream of Paris...
, however. Towards the end of 1975 production started at Douai, in much larger batches, of the Renault 14
Renault 14
The Renault 14 is a small family car produced by the French manufacturer Renault between 1976 and 1983.It was the first car to be produced in large volumes at the company's then new plant at Douai, although small pilot runs of the Renault 5 had preceded the 14's production in the...
, building up stock ahead of the launch of Renault's first head-on Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
competitor in 1976. The plant has continued to specialise in the manufacture of cars in the small family car segment.
By 1977 the plant was employing 7,000 people. This was a period of rapid automation in car production, and as a new plant Douai was more highly automated than most. It was perhaps a reflection of the fact that all the jobs at the plant were then new jobs, that the robots were viewed with some affection by some members of the workforce. At the end of the body assembly shop much of the main welding together of the pressed panels was undertaken by a team of four "Unimate" robots christened, by their human colleagues, Theophile, Arsine, Marcel and Modeste. Visitors at this time were also impressed by the ample space in the plant available for further expansion.
However, in 2008 Douai suffered a blow when production of mainstream Renault Mégane
Renault Mégane
The Renault Mégane is a small family car produced by the French automaker Renault since 1995. It is offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback, saloon, coupé, convertible and estate bodystyles...
model was concentrated on the Palencia
Palencia
Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...
plant: hitherto the two plants had assembled the model in parallel, but sales volumes no longer justified that arrangement. Douai retained the sporty low volume Megane CC Coupé and Cabriolet.
The following Renault models have been manufactured at Douai:
- Renault 5Renault 5The Renault 5 was first unveiled on 10 December 1971, being launched at the beginning of 1972.The Renault 5 was styled by Michel Boué, who died before the car's release, the R5 featured a steeply sloping rear hatchback and front dashboard...
- Renault 14Renault 14The Renault 14 is a small family car produced by the French manufacturer Renault between 1976 and 1983.It was the first car to be produced in large volumes at the company's then new plant at Douai, although small pilot runs of the Renault 5 had preceded the 14's production in the...
- Renault 9/Renault 11
- Renault FuegoRenault FuegoThe Renault Fuego is a four-seater, three-door hatchback produced by French automaker Renault from 1980 to 1992, replacing the Renault 15 and 17 coupés of the 1970s.- Development :...
- Renault 21Renault 21The Renault 21 is a large family car produced by French automaker Renault between 1986 and 1994. It was also sold in North America through American Motors dealers as the Renault Medallion and the Eagle Medallion...
- Renault 19Renault 19The Renault 19 is a small family car that was produced by the French car manufacturer Renault between 1988 and 2000.-Overview:The R19 was launched on September 1988 as the replacement for the 9 and 11, both of which were ageing and outdated by the late 1980s...
- Renault Mégane IRenault MéganeThe Renault Mégane is a small family car produced by the French automaker Renault since 1995. It is offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback, saloon, coupé, convertible and estate bodystyles...
- Renault Scénic IRenault ScénicThe Renault Scénic is a compact MPV produced by French automaker Renault, the first to be labelled as such in Europe. It is based on the chassis of the Mégane small family car. It became 1997 European Car of the Year on its launch in late 1996...
(4X2 and RX4) - Renault Mégane IIRenault MéganeThe Renault Mégane is a small family car produced by the French automaker Renault since 1995. It is offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback, saloon, coupé, convertible and estate bodystyles...
(saloon and coupé) - Renault Scénic IIRenault ScénicThe Renault Scénic is a compact MPV produced by French automaker Renault, the first to be labelled as such in Europe. It is based on the chassis of the Mégane small family car. It became 1997 European Car of the Year on its launch in late 1996...
- Renault Grand ScénicRenault ScénicThe Renault Scénic is a compact MPV produced by French automaker Renault, the first to be labelled as such in Europe. It is based on the chassis of the Mégane small family car. It became 1997 European Car of the Year on its launch in late 1996...
- Renault Scénic IIIRenault ScénicThe Renault Scénic is a compact MPV produced by French automaker Renault, the first to be labelled as such in Europe. It is based on the chassis of the Mégane small family car. It became 1997 European Car of the Year on its launch in late 1996...
- Renault Grand Scénic IIIRenault ScénicThe Renault Scénic is a compact MPV produced by French automaker Renault, the first to be labelled as such in Europe. It is based on the chassis of the Mégane small family car. It became 1997 European Car of the Year on its launch in late 1996...
Of these, the following were still manufactured there in 2009
- Renault Scénic III
- Renault Grand Scénic III
- Renault Mégane III CC